Ok, my age is 38. I am over weight 229 lbs. I'm about 5'8". About 3 weeks ago my wife and I started a lifestyle change. I have lost about 15 lbs in that time. What we are doing is the following:

Portion control for foodEating better food such as fruit, lean meat, some vegetables, and not snacking. We have tried to cut sugar and simple carbs out also.

Supplements include:a multichromiumgreen tea pills with some hoodiafiber pillsViT CMilk ThistleCinnimon Biomatrix DHEA drops (micronized and 6drops per day at about 3mg each drop)

We have begun to work out but in all honesty not enough. Now that our evenings are freeing up some I plan on doing upper a couple times a week, lower a couple times a week and a little cardio. My goal is to lose the weight, then to cut cut and ripped. I don't need to cut HUGE, but would like tobe well defined. I bought some EAS brand 100% protein that we have taken on and off and some Prolab Creatine that I haven't started yet.

Is there any other thing you would suggest to take for supplement?

My wife is very overweight and wants to lose the weight first but does like to weightlift. She is taking the same supplements as me right now but is on some lower doses of high blood pressure meds (spirolactone?) She wants the pounds to drop off first then to get lean and cut.

Is there any additional supplements that I should consider? I've also read conflicting thoughts on loading creatine. Is it wise or beneficial to load 25+grams of creatine for a week then taper back to 5 to 10 a day then clean out after a month or so or is is better to simply do 5 to 10 grams a day and no loading? Should my wife hold off on the creatine until she's dropped some weight since I've read it can bloat and add water weight?

Ok, my age is 38. I am over weight 229 lbs. I'm about 5'8". About 3 weeks ago my wife and I started a lifestyle change. I have lost about 15 lbs in that time. What we are doing is the following:

Portion control for foodEating better food such as fruit, lean meat, some vegetables, and not snacking. We have tried to cut sugar and simple carbs out also. very good. try to eat 5 meals per day, or more. smaller more frequent meals help speed weight loss and preserve muscle tissue. also, dont be afraid to eat at night. healthy fats and proteins are absolutly 100% okay to eat, in fact, going to sleep with some protein in you will help speed weight los and build up muscle tissue

Supplements include:a multichromiumgreen tea pills with some hoodiamake sure this is standardized for a generous amount of egcgfiber pillsViT Ci would take one gram three times dailyMilk ThistleCinnimontake this with any carbs you eat Biomatrix DHEA drops (micronized and 6drops per day at about 3mg each drop)

We have begun to work out but in all honesty not enough. Now that our evenings are freeing up some I plan on doing upper a couple times a week, lower a couple times a week and a little cardio. My goal is to lose the weight, then to cut cut and ripped. I don't need to cut HUGE, but would like tobe well defined. I bought some EAS brand 100% protein that we have taken on and off and some Prolab Creatine that I haven't started yet. you dont need to go to the gym that often . go do a full body workout with weights twice per week. but do cardio every morning before you eat anything for 45 minutes. just wallk. no need to jog or run. in fact, walking will be more beneficial.

Is there any other thing you would suggest to take for supplement? 10-15 grams of fish oil per day. this will be of tremedous help to speed weight loss and preserve muscle tissue

good luck ! it will be easy once you get into the swing of things. just use common sense and discipliine.

Is there any additional supplements that I should consider? I've also read conflicting thoughts on loading creatine. Is it wise or beneficial to load 25+grams of creatine for a week then taper back to 5 to 10 a day then clean out after a month or so or is is better to simply do 5 to 10 grams a day and no loading? Should my wife hold off on the creatine until she's dropped some weight since I've read it can bloat and add water weight?

you really don't NEED any suppliments except vitamins/minerals....you are taking so many things you probably cannot tell ifany of it makes a difference...most suppliments will provide such minimal results that they aren't worth the money

to lose fat, you are best off eating ALL whole foods, 4-6 small meals, clean foods....all meals start with protein sourceand add carbs/fats only as necessary....always eat your veggies!

lift weights circuit style....also do cardio for 30-45mins several times per week

For very overweight individuals, remember not to cut your calories too drastically. You will make your metabolism so slow that you will have to eat like a bird. Also don't cut down on snacking, eat a small fruit (i.e. apple,plum,tangerine) as a snack when you get hungry. Also another pointer is too not buy too many supplements there is no magic pill instead use that money to purchase your healthy food. Since you are just beginning don't drink protein shakes since they will leave you feeling more hungry, get all your protein from FISH*,chicken, or lean meat. To make up for lost volume during your diet add some low calorie vegetables like lettuce or zucchini into your meals so you get a feeling of satiety.

Some other pointers: 1. drop all sweet drinks (juices,sodas, and milk), and trans fatty food sources (chips, fried foods)2. the name of the game is consistency don't overestimate your ability to stay on a diet with a caloric deficit SLOWLY decrease your calories3. Fat loss is 85%diet 15%exercise4. Don't over train (start off by exercising 3 x a week on the same day and same time to create the discipline needed to lose the weight).5. Remember that in order to maintain fat loss you must change your lifestyle (diet + exercise) permanently. If you don't you will just gain back what you lost.

Honestly if you want to drop the fat fast. Cut the sugars. Hit the gym everyday( light cardio, and weights ). And eat 6 small meals / day. When I say small I mean a serving of food the size of your fist. It will all come down to discipline. Also keep a log. Documenting what you eat, how many calories, and when. Even though supplements will give you an mental edge( ephedra especially ). I would recommend you try to this without. When hitting the gym focus on heavy lifts ( dead lifts, squats, bench ). This will help you maintain your muscle as you tone down, plus keep test levels high. Just make sure you do it right. If you diet too fast. You will get a huge drop in weight ( due to loss of water weight, and muscle tissue ), but you will still have most of the fat. Set a goal of loosing the weight in small increments ( a couple pounds / week ). Constant improvement will be motivating.

Also if you and your wife have joined "The Lifestyle", Then once you get in shape I recommend joining http://www.desirousparty.com Its a community of couples that like to look good and party. The pictures on there will be motivating to get in shape.

- Drastically reduce your carbs, and avoid all trans-fats. (Other fats are not really a problem.) Count calories, this will teach you a lot about the things you eat.- Don't go overboard on supplements. Training and diet will do 99% of the job. Maybe some fish-oil and a multi. It's all i take, and that's just for general health.- Some cardio is good, but weightlifting should remain the focus. Even if your goal is fatloss.

Honestly if you want to drop the fat fast. Cut the sugars. Hit the gym everyday( light cardio, and weights ). And eat 6 small meals / day. When I say small I mean a serving of food the size of your fist. It will all come down to discipline. Also keep a log. Documenting what you eat, how many calories, and when. Even though supplements will give you an mental edge( ephedra especially ). I would recommend you try to this without. When hitting the gym focus on heavy lifts ( dead lifts, squats, bench ). This will help you maintain your muscle as you tone down, plus keep test levels high. Just make sure you do it right. If you diet too fast. You will get a huge drop in weight ( due to loss of water weight, and muscle tissue ), but you will still have most of the fat. Set a goal of loosing the weight in small increments ( a couple pounds / week ). Constant improvement will be motivating.

Also if you and your wife have joined "The Lifestyle", Then once you get in shape I recommend joining http://www.desirousparty.com Its a community of couples that like to look good and party. The pictures on there will be motivating to get in shape.

Good advice, yet i don't agree with hitting the gym everyday. 3-4 times a week of resistance training will be sufficient. You don't want to overtrain when cutting.

Can you tell us more on this Midnite? My doc once prescribed DHEA to me, although I'm off it now.

(Lol, usmoke - ya beat me to it by seconds!)

I've read some studies which suggest it's more beneficial to women than men, but haven't seen anything saying it's potential dangerous.

I may have overstated things because there is a purpose for DHEA in a narrow group of the population (men among 40 with certain chemincal imbalances). My undertsanding though is that the FDA banned it as a therepeutic drug over ten years ago until its safety can be established. If I recall my readings correctly, several publications have raised the possibility of liver problems and increased cancer risk from DHEA.

Thanks for the posts everyone. Although I'm somewhat of a newbie, I did try to do a lot of research on what to take and not take. From what I've seen, the creatine does have some positive effects not only for increasing my exercise routine output, but also for general body functions. I haven't started it yet though because I know it will put some weight on due to the increase water retension, so until I lose a little more I was not going to try.

From what I've read and researched, the DHEA has some positive effects in that it gives better moods, and will increase some hormone output in some people. It does seem to be working for my wife and maybe for me. I wanted to make sure I used a micronized version because it's easier on the liver and the drops I was told go more directly into the bloodstream. My Chiropractor told me the Biomatrix was one of the better brands to use because of purity, but my onlyt concern was the lower overall mg does. Each drop is supposed to be the equiv of 3 mg and they say to take 6 drops spread throughout the day for a total of about 18 mg. What I don't know is that if this is more pure, does the lower amount still do what say 50 mg or more would do?

Thanks for the posts everyone. Although I'm somewhat of a newbie, I did try to do a lot of research on what to take and not take. From what I've seen, the creatine does have some positive effects not only for increasing my exercise routine output, but also for general body functions. I haven't started it yet though because I know it will put some weight on due to the increase water retension, so until I lose a little more I was not going to try.

From what I've read and researched, the DHEA has some positive effects in that it gives better moods, and will increase some hormone output in some people. It does seem to be working for my wife and maybe for me. I wanted to make sure I used a micronized version because it's easier on the liver and the drops I was told go more directly into the bloodstream. My Chiropractor told me the Biomatrix was one of the better brands to use because of purity, but my onlyt concern was the lower overall mg does. Each drop is supposed to be the equiv of 3 mg and they say to take 6 drops spread throughout the day for a total of about 18 mg. What I don't know is that if this is more pure, does the lower amount still do what say 50 mg or more would do?

well to be honest with you for weight loss and overall body composition i think you would be better off getting fish oil